1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tool pot used in a machine tool such as a machining center or the like for an apparatus configured to automatically exchange tools.
2. Description of the Background Art
In a machine tool such as a machining center, if the number of tools required for machining a work, a stocker such as a tool magazine is installed in addition to a machine tool to hand over the tools between the machine tool and the stocker. When retaining the tools in the tool magazine, which corresponds to the stocker, a tool pot configured to house and retain the tools so as to be demountably mountable is used (For example, see JP-A-2002-126961).
The tool pot is generally formed of a resin mold, which is low in manufacturing costs and is produced on a large scale because a number of the tool pots having the same form are used. However, in the case of the tool pot formed of the resin mold, for example, a portion in which a mounting shaft is inserted and a portion where a steel ball is retained are not strong enough, and hence a configuration in which metallic reinforcing members are embedded in these portions is proposed.
Embedding of the metallic reinforcing member to the resin-made tool pot is generally performed by insert molding.
In the case of the insert molding, after the molding is performed at a temperature higher than the normal temperature, it is cooled down to the normal temperature. However, at the time of cooling, a thermal stress generates in the interior of a resin-made pot body due to a difference in coefficient of linear expansion between resin and metal, and hence fractures, cracks, or the like may occur in the pot body by the thermal stress at the time of using easily.